The Bank of Canada and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced an agreement to collaborate on a twelve-month research project on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The Bank will work with the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative team to explore how advanced technologies could affect the potential design of a CBDC, building on the DCI’s ongoing research into CBDC. This exploration will help inform the Bank of Canada’s research effort into CBDC.

The project forms part of the Bank’s wider research and development agenda on digital currencies and fintech. It will focus on exploring and experimenting with potential technology approaches to determine how a CBDC could work. No decision has been made on whether to introduce a CBDC in Canada.

The Bank of Canada will provide an update on the findings and outcomes at the end of the project period.